Watch wound by enclosing sheath



Feb. 3, 1959 Filed April 6, 1956 B. DITESHEIM 2,871,653

WATCH WOUND BY ENCLOSING SHEATH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mi l/I IA .g v p vd-of's Btrmlra/ plfesAelm Feb. 3, 1959 B. DITESHEIM 2,871,653

WATCH WOUND BY ENCLOSING SHEATH Filed April 6, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1) v wwhr g Dries/ em United States Patent WATCH WOUND BY ENCLOSING SHEATH Bernard Ditesheim, La Chanx-de-Fonds, Switzerland, assignor to Fabriques Movado, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, :1 Swiss firm Application April 6, 1956, Serial No. 576,561

Claims priority, application Switzerland September 24, 1955 2 Claims. (Cl. ss so My invention has for its object a watch the case of which is enclosed inside a protecting sheath constituted by two caps opening towards each other, and adapted to slide over the case towards and away from each other.

According to my invention, there is provided at least one ring fitted over the case and having for its center the center of the case, said ring being adapted to revolve round its center under the action of a movement transmitting mechanism connecting the two caps of the sheath with the ring while a pinion secured to the winding stem of the movement is adapted to engage a toothed angular section of the ring, the arrangement being such that the sliding of the caps produces a winding movement of the stem.

Ihave illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings two preferred embodiments of an improved sheath arrangement according to my invention.

, In saiddrawings:

Fig. l is a front view thereof.

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are cross-sections through lines IIII, IIIIII and IV-IV respectively of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section through line VV of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 shows a detail of the connection between the ring and one of the sheath caps, and

Figs. 7, 8 and 9 illustrate the second embodiment, Fig. 7 being a plan view thereof, Fig. 8 a cross-section through line VIIIVIII of Fig. 7 and Fig. 9 a detail elevational view.

The watch illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 includes a case 1 protected by a heath constituted by two caps 2 and 3, adapted to slide over the case towards or away from each other so as to enclose the latter or to uncover the dial thereon respectively.

The case carries coaxially with the watch hands a rotary ring 4 provided along a portion of its periphery with a toothed sector 5. Each sheath cap is connected with said ring through a connecting rod 6 pivotally secured at 7 to the bottom of the cap and at 8 to the edge of the ring. To the winding up stem 9 is keyed a pinion 10 adapted to mesh with the toothed sector. At each end of the latter is provided across the ring a depression shown respectively at 11 and at 12, as drawn more clearly in Fig. 4.

The toothed ring 4 is carried by vertically adjustable studs 4a secured to the watch rim (Fig. 3). Instead of these studs, it is possible to resort two balls inserted between the ring 4 and the case rim.

Fig. 1 shows the sheath in its closed condition. When the caps 2 and 3 are drawn out, respectively in the direction of the arrows f1 and f2, the dial is uncovered and at the same time the ring 4 is caused to turn round the center of the dial in the direction of the arrow f3. When the caps of the sheath are closed, the pinion 10 carried by the winding up stem lies inside the depression 11, for instance, of the ring 4 as shown in Fig. 4.

The angular movement of the ring 4 brings the toothed sector 5 into engagement with the pinion but a ratchet system associated with the winding up stem prevents then "ice any actual winding operation. At the end of the opening movement of the sheath, the pinion 10 reaches the opposite depression 12 in the ring 4. It is then independent of the toothed sector and it is possible to use the winding up stem for setting the time in the usual manner. When the two caps are urged back inwardly, the toothed sector 5 returns into engagement with the pinion 10 and for this direction of its movement, the rotation of the pinion 10 provides for the winding up of the watch.

The watch is provided with an alarm and includes therefore two spring barrels, the barrel 14 controlling the clockwork and the barrel 15 controlling the alarm. These two barrels are wound up simultaneously by the same winding up stem 9 through the agency of the gear 16 shown in Fig. 1. The knob 17 serves for setting the alarm hand at the desired time and for stopping the alarm when required.

The pivotal mounting of the connecting rod 6 on a point 7 inside the outer end of the corresponding cap is performed through a spring urged spindle 13 carrying the connecting rod sliding inside a socket 23 (Fig. 5) and urged outwardly by the spring 24 carried inside said socket. The spindle 13 and the socket 23 are each provided at its outer end with a tenon or trunnion 25 pivotally held in the recess 18 formed in the corresponding side wall of the cap of a spring 24. The end of each recess 1-8, opening inside the cap, communicates with a groove 19 extending along the inner surface of the cap and leading to the edge of the latter. When it is desired to fit the connecting rod 6 on its cap, it is sufiicient to enter the tenons or trunnions 25 at the end of its spring urged carrier spindle and socket system 13--23 into the outer ends of the grooves 19 and then to shift the spindle and socket system inwardly along said grooves 19 until said tenons or trunnions engage the corresponding recesses 18. Each spring-urged spindle 13 carries a collar 20 through which it is possible to urge the two trunnions towards each other when it is desired to proceed with the dismantling of the connecting rod by drawing out the spindle and socket system.

Each connecting rod is provided at the end opposed to that carried by the spindle 13 with an elastic claw 21 obtained by cutting out the end of the connecting rod, said claw being adapted to engage as shown in Fig. 6, a tenon 22 carriedby the ring 4 to provide for operative connection between the connecting rod and the ring. Obviously the connecting rods on both sides of the dial are mounted in the same manner.

In the second embodiment (Figs. 7 to 9), the case carries two rings 33 and 34 of equal radii located respectively in register with the front side and with the rear side of the case. These rings coaxial with the time-indicating hands may revolve round the axles of the latter and are provided each with a toothed sector 35 or 35'. Each cap is connected with each of the two rings through two connecting rods shown at 36 and 37 for the cap 2 and at 38 and 39 for the cap 3; each of said connecting rods (see Fig. 8) corresponding to one cap is rigid with a transverse spring-urged bar 40, the trunnions of which are revolubly fitted in openings 41 formed in the said corresponding cap. At their other ends said connecting rods are pivotally connected respectively to the front side ring 33 and to the rear side ring 34. When fitting the bars 40 in position, their trunnions are first engaged inside the grooves 44 (Fig. 7) leading them out from the edges of the cap into the openings 41.

The winding up stem 42 carries as precedingly a pinion 43 which lies in the present case between the rings 33 and 34 and engages simultaneously the toothed sectors thereof. When uncovering the watch case by shifting the caps outwardly, the toothed sectors 35 and 36 of the rings make the pinion 43 rotate but the clutch system for the winding 1 reenga'ge and drive the pinion 43.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a Watch including a clockwork, the provision of a watch case provided with a dial, a protecting sheath including two caps opening towards each other along a straight line and adapted to slide with reference to each other over the watch case into and out of a position uncovering the dial on the latter, the opposite inner surfaces of each cap being provided with longitudinal grooves extending inwardly starting from their outer edge facing the'other cap and with recesses deeper than the grooves and inside which the latter terminate, a ring coaxial with the watch dial revolubly carried by the watch case and including a toothed angular section, two connecting rods pivotally secured to diametrically opposed points of the ring through one end, means pivotally connecting the other end of each connecting rod with the corresponding cap and including an elastically extending spindle system, the ends of which are adapted to enter the recesses formed in said corresponding cap along the grooves formed in the latter, said connecting rods being adapted to make said ring rotate under the action of the relative sliding movement of the caps, a winding-up stem, a pinion keyed to said stem, registering with the ring and adapted to mesh with the toothed section of the ring to be rocked by the rotary movement of the ring under the dial when the caps are caused to slide with reference to each other and means operatively connecting the Windingup stem with the watch clockwork for at least one predetermined direction of rotation of said stem.

2. In combination with a watch including a movement, the provision of a watch case including a dial, a protecting sheath including two caps opening towards each other and d. adapted to slide with reference to each other over the watch case into and out of a position uncovering the dial on the latter, two rings of equal diameters coaxial with the watch dial, revolubly carried by the watch case and including each a toothed angular section, the two toothed angular sections being of equal length and extending in register with each other for one of the closed and open conditions of the case, two links pivotally connecting each cap with the two rings respectively, each ring being connected with the links at diametrically opposed points of its periphery so as to be shifted into rotation in opposite directions under the action of the relative sliding movement of the caps, a winding-up stern, a pinion keyed to said stem registering with the rings and adapted to mesh with the toothed sections of both rings to be rocked by the rotary movement of the rings in opposite directions with reference to the dial when the caps are caused to slide inwardly and outwardly with reference to each other and means for operatively connecting the winding-up stem with the watch mechanism exclusively for a predetermined direction of rotation of said stem.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

